Pubdate: Tue, 23 Jan 2001 Source: Ft. Worth Star-Telegram (TX) Copyright: 2001 Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas Contact: 400 W. Seventh Street, Fort Worth, Texas 76102 Website: http://www.star-telegram.com/ Forum: http://www.star-telegram.com/comm/forums/ Author: Gerhard Kleinschmidt COUNTERPRODUCTIVE? On Jan. 15, I heard what was presumably a public service announcement, sponsored by the National Drug Policy Administration, warning parents of an extremely dangerous drug. The announcement solemnly intoned that this drug, which parents might think could only be found on the street, is in fact found under almost every kitchen sink. Inhalants, it announces, have now been tried by one out of six grade-school children in an effort to get high. The ad went on to admonish parents to talk to their children about inhalants. What are we, stupid? Most of us were putting catches on our kitchen cabinet doors to keep children out of these things before there was ever a National Drug Policy Administration. What troubles me, and should trouble anyone else who cares about children, is that this announcement told children where these inhalants are, told them that one out of six grade-school children has already used them to get high . . . Already a dismal failure in the Great Drug War, the government seemingly now wants to expand that war to encompass household cleansers, aerosols, etc. That is bad enough, but let's not tell the grade-school children where to find them Gerhard Kleinschmidt Aledo - --- MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager